Surprise
by Jack4Sam
Summary: My entry for "McBreezy's LTM Fic Challenge" Prompt Gill/Emily- Lasagna (with a little bit of Callian thrown in...I just can't help it). Emily asks for Gillian's help with a surprise for her dad...


A/N: My entry for "McBreezy's LTM Fic Challenge"….Gill/Emily Lasagna (with a bit of Callian thrown in). Thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and would like to thank McBreezy for giving me the opportunity to write about some other lie to me character relationships Oh and LornaCat…the Garfield reference is for you! Please R&R….all comments welcome!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Lie to Me.

* * *

"And where are you off to?" Cal Lightman asked his business partner, Gillian Foster, as he saw her exiting her office with her coat and bag in hand.

"Erm…I'm going home early" she stuttered, blushing at being caught in the act of ducking out of work before the day was over.

"How very un-Foster like" he retorted smirking at her "and may I ask what is so important that you feel you deserve a half day"

She knew he was teasing but she decided to play along and put on an affronted air, "As an equal partner in this firm, I don't feel the need to give you a reason behind my decision to leave early"

Cal laughed at the mock serious expression on her face, "You know I'm joking luv, have a great evening yeah?"

She felt the pull at her heart strings as he teased her in his usual manner. "You too Cal" she replied as she headed towards the elevator and whipped out her phone firing off a text indicating that she was on her way.

Emily Lightman ran towards the door as she heard the doorbell chime, excited to get going on her plans.

"Hi Gill" she greeted pulling the older woman into a hug.

"Hi Em" she heard Gillian reply albeit a little muffled.

She stepped back and allowed Gillian some space to remove her coat and take off her shoes. She loved how comfortable Gillian felt in her dad's house and the thought made her smile. Gillian looked at the girl's smile suspiciously as she hung her coat on the coat rack and placed her shoes below it.

"So…what was sooo urgent that you needed me here right away?" she asked grinning at the girl.

"Well, it's dad's birthday at the weekend as you know and well I wanted to arrange something special for him and really need your help" Emily explained as she made her way over to the dining table where she had set out a pot of freshly brewed coffee, some chocolate cookies and a pad of paper.

"I see" Gillian replied smiling down at the set up before settling herself into one of the chairs and helping herself to the coffee "So what are the ideas so far?"

"Well he wouldn't appreciate a party because he is grumpy" Emily joked as she took the seat opposite Gill and helped herself to a cookie.

"True, he isn't the most sociable man" Gillian replied grinning, thinking back to all the times she had literally had to drag Cal almost kicking and screaming to networking events.

"So I thought maybe I could make him dinner…" she stated, looking to Gill for reassurance that dinner was a good idea.

"Sounds perfect….so if you already have the idea what do you need my help with?" Gill questioned as she slipped a cookie off the plate in front of her and started nibbling it.

"Well, I want to make his favourite dinner and perhaps bake a cake or some sort of dessert. I want it to be really special because I'm leaving for college in 2 weeks and well yea I just want to show him how much I will miss him. But I can't cook or bake to save my life so I was hoping you could help with that. And of course dad would want you there….as would I" she explained, grinning at Gillian enjoying the cookie.

"Ah Emily, that's such a sweet idea, he will love it and trust me when I say he knows how much you will miss him because he feels the same. So you're making lasagna for dinner then?" Gillian asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Of course, that is his favourite…apart from beans on toast" Emily joked rolling her eyes.

"Have you thought about what sort of cake or dessert he would want?" she asked, her eyes lighting up at the mere mention of something sweet.

"Not really, I know he isn't a huge cake fan…that's more your department" Emily replied laughing as Gillian tucked into another cookie.

"Hmmm how about a red velvet cake or a lemon drizzle cake or some sort of cheesecake" she began reeling off ideas, excitement flashing across her face. Emily laughed at how easy it was to get Gill excited about food, especially anything that involved a lot of sugar. "Hmmm perhaps we should have a think about that one"

Gillian drew the pad of paper towards her and started making a list of ingredients for the lasagna. "This is what we will need to make the dinner, did you want a starter?"

Emily considered this as she watched Gillian write down a pretty hefty list of ingredients, "nah maybe just a nice side salad to go with dinner and a 'great bottle of red'" she replied quoting her dad and laughing.

"Perfect" Gillian exclaimed.

"So you're happy to help and to have dinner with us?" Emily asked wanting to be certain that she was happy to do this. She was really glad she had such a close relationship with the older woman and that she could call on her help for things like this, but at the same time she knew that Gillian hated to intrude and she didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"Of course Em, wouldn't want it any other way" she replied smiling before she looked down at her watch "Right, I best get going otherwise your dad will come home and he will wonder what I've been doing here. I'll have a think about dessert and let you know"

"Thanks Gill, you're a star. So I'm thinking we could do the dinner on Friday night and you could stay over and we could all hang out Saturday" Emily said, hoping that Gill wouldn't pick up on her plans to finally push her dad into admitting how he felt about her.

"Of course, that sounds like a perfect weekend. So I will sneak out of work early ensuring your Dad is piled up with paperwork and we can get cracking" Gill replied as she walked towards the door and collected her coat and shoes.

"Awesome. Thanks again Gill, see you Friday" Emily said as she hugged her goodbye.

Gillian left the house and walked over to her car feeling extremely happy. She loved Emily and particularly enjoyed spending some girl time with her. This weekend was going to be so much fun and she knew Emily was excited at the prospect of surprising her dad.

* * *

The girls spent the rest of the week texting each other with ideas and updates and Cal was starting to get a little bit suspicious over how distracted Foster was. He grimaced at the thought of it being another man; he knew she hadn't dated anyone serious since Burns. But since his conversation with his daughter, he had really wanted to admit how he felt except the timing never felt right.

Friday soon came around and Gillian felt the excitement start to build as she woke up to a text from Emily stating that "today's the day! x". Laughing, she got out of bed and dashed to get ready wanting to get to work earlier than usual so she wouldn't feel too guilty for leaving early. Arriving at work she noticed that Cal was already in his office, she grabbed the post from Heidi and made her way over to his door. She pushed the door open with her foot as she knocked lightly, alerting him to her presence.

"Hey"

"Cal, you're early"

"Yep had some paperwork I needed to get done and don't want to get out of here too late tonight. Emily is popping over." He explained with a grin that always lit up his face when he spoke about his daughter.

"I see. Well I have a dentist appointment at 4 and was hoping I could sneak out early and you could handle the close up of my Benton's case?" she said with as much dismay as she could muster at the idea that she was ruining his chances of getting out early.

He wasn't sure but he thought he saw a flash of something behind her small smile but he knew he couldn't call her on it because of that blasted line.

"No problem luv, I know you will have done an excellent job so as long as I'm done by 6ish yeah?" he replied.

"Ah yes, there won't be much to do but you will just have to meet with them briefly at half 5" she explained smiling at him, "Oh and happy birthday" she added with a grin before heading towards the door.

Once inside her office she dumped her bag and the post on her desk and made her way to her chair. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Emily confirming that she had persuaded her Dad to stay a little longer.

The day seemed to drag but finally the clock Gillian had been watching non-stop hit half 3 and she got up to collect her things. She sent a quick email across to Cal attaching all the information on the Benton's file before powering down her computer. Grabbing her bag and coat, she hoped to leave the office without being stopped by the man himself. She flicked off the light switch as she left her office, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before she made a dash for the elevator. She saw Cal walking towards her office as the elevator doors closed. She giggled to herself at how this surprise had turned into a top secret mission. She made it to the Lightman residence in great time and beeped her horn to let Emily know she was waiting outside. They didn't have much time and they still needed to go shopping for the ingredients.

* * *

The girls spent 40 minutes shopping for the much needed ingredients for the lasagna and the lemon cheesecake they had finally decided on. Emily was so pleased that Gill had agreed to help her out with these plans because she definitely wouldn't have been able to pull it all off in time. Once home they set up their purchases in the kitchen and Emily flicked on the stereo so that they had some music to work to. It was half 4 and the girls had an hour and a half before Cal left the office to prep the meal and decorate the house.

"Right, we best get started on the lasagna first because it will take longer" Gill explained as she pulled all the necessary ingredients out of the carrier bag and instructed Emily to turn on the oven so it preheated to the perfect temperature. They spent the next half an hour preparing the dinner whilst Emily told Gillian all about her college course and how excited she was to be starting soon. Gillian shared some college stories of her own and felt her heart swell when Emily had said that she wanted Gillian to visit her whenever she could. Gillian had always wanted a child but had had so many problems with both conceiving and adopting, that she had finally given up and resigned herself to the fact that she would never be a mother. But it was times like these that she realised that she was lucky to have met Cal and be a part of Emily's life. At ten past 5, Gillian slid the lasagna into the oven and looked over to Emily who was grinning at her, "That actually smells amazing, Gill."

Gillian smiled back before replying, "What can I say, we're a great team. Right, now to crack on and make the cheesecake"

Emily grabbed the ingredients from the bag and pulled all the necessary baking materials out of her dad's cupboards.

"You know he only has all this stuff just in case you decide you want to bake when you're over?" she stated as she slid everything onto the counter in front of them.

"Don't be silly…" Gillian began to reply but Emily cut her off.

"Since that day you decided to bake cookies with me to cheer me up, dad has made sure he is stocked up on all the necessary baking goods" she sneaked a look over at Gillian as she spoke and grinned when she noticed her blushing.

"But that was years ago" she replied as she thought back to that day, the first real bonding session she had enjoyed with Emily.

"Yep" was all Emily said smiling as she watched Gillian's face light up with happiness.

The girls set to work mixing together the mascarpone cheese, sugar and lemon juice to form the filling for the cheesecake. They had decided on a simple no bake cheesecake as they knew it wouldn't take as long and also Cal wasn't a huge fan of desserts but did like the refreshing taste of lemon. Emily pulled the biscuit base out of the fridge that she had prepared whilst Gillian had been browning off the mince and Gillian spooned the filling on top before putting it into the fridge to set.

"Right, I'll clean up the kitchen and you start the decorations as we have about an hour until your dad is home" Gillian said moving over to the sink and filling it up with washing up liquid and hot water.

* * *

Forty minutes, one spotless kitchen and one fabulously decorated lounge and dining room later, Emily received a text message from her dad telling her he was on his way home. She showed the message to Gillian and they made their way into the kitchen to grab a cup of hot chocolate before the fun and games could begin. Emily used this time wisely to ask Gillian for some advice about her latest boyfriend. She wasn't sure what to do about the whole 'distance' thing that would become an issue once they both moved away for college.

"So we're going to be miles apart and neither of us will really have the time or the money to visit much" she explained, happily taking the cup of hot chocolate that Gillian was offering her and hoping that she would be able to help her decide what to do.

"Hmm it's a tough one, I had friends in college who had left boyfriends back home and most of them didn't end very well. But there was one friend, Janice, who actually stayed with her boyfriend throughout her entire time at college and now they are married with two children" Gillian said smiling but there was a hint of sadness behind it, the memory of college was always a fun one but then to reminisce about a friend who had achieved everything Gillian had wanted was a little upsetting.

"Perhaps I should at least give it a go then, I mean I do really like him and I don't want to be one of those girls who ditches a good thing just because it gets a little bit tough" Emily replied thoughtfully, smiling sadly over at Gillian knowing full well that telling that story about her friend had brought up thoughts about her own lack of a family. "I really am thankful for today Gillian and all the advice you have given me, you're like a second mum to me and I'm not sure what I would do without you"

Gillian felt tears well up in her eyes and she reached across to squeeze Emily's hand, she really was the sweetest girl. Before Gillian could say anything in return, they heard Cal's car pull up into the driveway. Grabbing their cups, Emily dashed over to the sink and dumped them in it before switching off the light and dragging Gillian over to the sofa, where they proceeded to hide.

Cal got out of his car, frowning slightly at how dark the house was. Surely Emily was here by now; he had sent her a message about 20 minutes ago and was expecting her to be waiting for him. Shrugging, he walked over to the front door and let himself into the house. As he switched on the light, Emily and Gillian jumped up from behind the sofa shouting 'surprise'. Cal jumped about a foot in the air before collapsing against the wall, holding his chest in the pretence that he was having a heart attack. Emily laughed and ran over to give him a hug, "Happy birthday old man"

Cal laughed and hugged her back, "Oi, less of the old" he grumbled as he moved over to Gillian and pulled her into a hug too. Cal finally let her go and looked around the room, which was expertly decorated and he couldn't help but grin when he smelt dinner cooking in the kitchen.

"So this is what you've been up to eh?" he asked looking at Gillian, who was looking down at her hands with a small smile on her face.

"It was all Emily's idea" she replied grinning over at the girl, who was jumping around pleased with how successful the surprise had been.

"Please, Gillian did most of the work" she replied, returning the older woman's grin.

"Well I am glad you two have had fun and all in the name of my birthday yeah?" he replied cheekily looking between his two favourite girls.

* * *

The lasagna turned out perfectly and the three of them had managed to devour all of it, although Cal did grumble about there not being any leftovers for tomorrow. Emily loved how comfortable Gillian and her dad were around each other and she almost wanted to blurt out his news herself. But she knew that it had to come from Cal himself, although at this rate Emily would be done with college and turning grey before he found the guts to admit his feelings. She knew that he needed a nudge in the right direction but she needed to wait for the perfect moment.

After clearing the plates, Emily and Gillian served up the lemon cheesecake, even throwing in a few verses of 'Happy Birthday' for Cal's benefit. He laughed along, pretending to groan at their bad singing voices, but secretly he loved all the attention from them. The cheesecake had turned out deliciously and Emily laughed when she noticed that Cal had stopped eating his own slice in order to watch Gillian enjoy hers.

Once the plates were cleared, they all moved to the lounge where Cal opened some presents and they all enjoyed watching some crappy tv.

"So dad, has this been an amazing surprise or what?" Emily asked cheekily.

"It has been wonderful….I do love lasagna as you well know" he replied, pulling Emily over for a hug.

"You know what I've just realised" Gillian began, her smile growing as the realisation dawned on her.

"What's that then love?" Cal asked intrigued as to what was making her smile more than she had for a while.

"You're just like Garfield" she stated matter-of-factly.

"That goofy cartoon cat?!" Cal retorted in shock

"Yeah…he loves lasagna and hates Mondays too" she replied winking at him. Emily couldn't help but burst into laughter as she watched Cal's eyes widen in shock at Gillian teasing him. He launched a cushion at her head but missed by miles resulting in the three of them collapsing into a heap of giggles on the sofa.

Finally, once the laughter had subsided, Emily decided it was time to go to bed. But not before she gave her dad that much needed push he required.

"I'm off to bed; don't stay up too late because I have lots planned for us tomorrow. Gill, I set up the guest bedroom for you and thank you for all of your help over the past couple of days. I couldn't have done all this without you" she said as she leaned over to hug Gillian and then her dad.

Just as she was making her way up the stairs, she turned back, grinned at her dad and said, "Oh and Gill, my dad has something really important that he needs to tell you" before dashing up the stairs before Cal could berate her.

Gillian laughed and looked over at Cal, who all of a sudden looked very serious.

"Gill, I…"

**THE END**


End file.
